Tyler Hawn races his No.2 Outlaw Super Late Model off turn two at Flamboro Speedway during the Gold Rush 100 at Flamboro Speedway on August 21. (Photo by Derek Smith).

ORO STATION, Ont. – August 22, 2017 – Tyler Hawn showed plenty of speed, but had to persevere through a challenging night and was rewarded with top-five finish in the Gold Rush 100 at Flamboro Speedway on Monday night. Hawn’s fifth-place finish was his 10th top-five finish in Outlaw Super Late Model competition this season.

Hawn started the night with a seventh-place qualifying effort to put him among the front half of the 21-car field for the event. That was an impressive achievement in itself with a number of high-level and top-dollar team in attendance.

“It does feel really, really good,” Hawn said of his fifth-place finish. “Even qualifying seventh (feels good) when you look at the board and the cars around us. You really have to step back and think about where we’ve come from. We’re getting better. We’re still having a lot of fun.”

Hawn battled inside the top-10 all night long. He battled at the front throughout most of the race, but contact in turn four during a battle for position with Gary Passer’s No.52 hindered his effort the rest of the night.

“I don’t really know what happened,” Hawn said. “The 52 car, his right-front brake was on fire. I don’t know if he came out of the corner and something locked up on him, but he just hit me in the front tire and I almost hit the wall head on. I’m happy everyone behind us had their eyes open because that could have been a bad one.”

Despite the issue, Hawn was able to continue along without any major damage, but the car’s maneuverability was not as strong as it was earlier in the race.

“It definitely knocked the tow out,” Hawn said. “On a little bit of a longer run, the car started to get a push. It’s just hard with the longer runs when you get sweat in your eyes and everything else. We just had fun.”

Later in the race, Hawn tried to work around a lapped car, but got tangled up with him and Derrick Tiemersma when the slower can failed to hold a line. Fortunately, Hawn spun to the infield and did not suffer any major damage.

“That was unexpected,” Hawn said. “I came out of the corner expecting him to come low an he didn’t come low. It happens. I’ve been there and it’s hard. He just didn’t see me. If the outcome was different, I’d be a little more angry.”

The rest of the field suffered plenty of attrition in the latter half of the 100-lap race. Hawn’s smart strategy and ability to pace himself on a very hot afternoon allowed him to stay on track and claim the fifth-place finish.

“It was definitely a hot one. Being a husky guy, it’s a little harder on me,” Hawn explained. “My dad brought me to always try to keep calm and feel everything out. You can’t think of it as 100 laps. You have to think of it as 25-25-25-25. That way, it doesn’t seem so long. You have to make sure you have some water in there for you and try to have a vent to get some air going. It all helps.”

While Tyler’s father, Don Hawn, could not be in attendance to witness the strong run, Tyler knows he would be proud of the effort.

“It feels really, really good,” said an emotional Hawn. “I really wish my dad was here to see it. He’s proud. He’s always been proud of us and we’ll just keep moving this on with him.”

Due to personal reasons, Hawn will not be in attendance at Jukasa Motor Speedway this weekend. He will return to Super Late Model action with OSCAAR at a later date.

HAWN MOTORSPORTS MARKETING PARTNERSTyler Hawn is proud to partner with several dedicated marketing partners for the 2017 race season, including Fox’s Bakery and Deli, TSS Top Shops, and Watson’s Garage.

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